April 10, 2018
Classic Learning Research in Practice – Triune Brain – Connect to your Audience
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(6)
April 10, 2018
Classic Learning Research in Practice – Triune Brain – Connect to your Audience
Lifelong Learning in the Corporate World
Newbie 25 posts
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(6)

We all have those moments that your learning does not seem to connect to the audience, we tend to blame the learners, however  it is the learning designer that is to blame. There is a vast amount of academic research available on how we learn … or how we build patterns in our brain … but how can you put all that research into practical use? Let us investigate the triune brain, and how this model helps you to connect to your audience.

The triune brain is a model originally formulated in the 1960s by Paul D. MacLean.

The model takes a simplistic approach on how the brain is layered into three evolutionary layers.

  1. The first layer or brain 1 is the reptilian brain, a brain part also found in reptiles. Like with reptiles this part of the brain controls the body’s vital functions and is responsible for our survival instincts. Today our Survival Brain takes care of the Fear of Loss.
  2. The second layer or brain 2 is the limbic system, it supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, motivation, … functions not found in reptiles but in mammals. It enables the ability of dogs to bond with humans. This Emotional Brain handles our Hearts Desire.
  3. The third layer or brain 3 is the the neocortex, the part of the brain involved in higher-order brain functions, typically found in primates. This Thinking Brain is responsible for Facts and Figures.

How does this model translate into building a learning experience that connects to your audience?  Make sure that your learning experience respects the 3 layers of the brain.

  1. Survival Brain, Tackle the Fear of Loss: A threatened learner will shut out the higher brain causing him to act on primitive instinct. Create an open learning environment that does not trigger the survival instinct, make sure the learner has nothing to loose. Do not force learning upon the students as this will create a fight or flight reaction, rendering the learning to zero.
  2. Emotional Brain, Fullfill the Hearts Desire: Make the students care, what is in it for them? Your learning should start by answering the question why? When you communicate the purpose or cause first, you communicate in a way that drives decision-making and behavior. It literally taps the part of the brain that inspires behavior. Positive emotions will establish patterns faster than repetion.
  3. Thinking Brain, Provide the Facts and Figures: Once the student feels safe, and convinced on why he is attending the learning, you can start by answering the how and the what.

So connecting to your audience is starting with Why. followed by how and what.

Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

6 Comments
2018-04-14 21:29:07
2018-04-14 21:29:07

What system do you use to create your infographics?

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chase5555
's comment
2018-04-14 21:46:08
2018-04-14 21:46:08
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chase5555
's comment

Hi Chandra,

All layouting is done in PowerPoint and sometimes with the use of icons from flaticon.com. A few months ago I used EPS icons inside PowerPoint, but support for this filetype has been removed by Microsoft due to security issues. Today Office 365 has made up for the loss of EPS in supporting SVG. In some rare occasions I use Inkscape to edit out icons.

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Dimitri Roman
's comment
2018-04-14 22:08:22
2018-04-14 22:08:22
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Dimitri Roman
's comment

Thank you!

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2017-11-15 06:12:49
2017-11-15 06:12:49

Hi Dimitri,

In regards to the information you presented regarding the ‘survival brain’, another way to provide eLearning to a participant without arousing emotional distress is to develop the training from the ‘Third person perspective’. This allows the learner to externalise the training and move forward. I have written about this in my post on narratives and eLearning.

You can read more about the psychology behind the first, second and third person in my blog here; https://elearning.adobe.com/2017/11/taking-elearners-on-a-journey-using-narratives/

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2017-11-15 04:25:22
2017-11-15 04:25:22

This is a pretty simplistic approach to the topic of how we learn. It barely scratches the surface. The reptilian and limbic systems have much less to do with learning that the neo-cortex, except as you point out that their activation can interfere with learning. A more interesting and useful discussion would include how the neo-cortex forms, stores and processes subconscious mental and physical patterns.

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steveubu
's comment
2017-11-15 15:12:55
2017-11-15 15:12:55
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steveubu
's comment

Hi Stephen,

Thank you for your feedback. When posting this blog article I wanted it short and actionable. “Education Is Not the Filling of a Pail, But the Lighting of a Fire”. This first blog post starts at the beginning of a learning experience, with the focus on the two lower brains, as those are responsible for connecting to your audience. As stated in your response the neo-cortex surely is even more interesting discussion and covered by loads of Research, that may be covered in future blog articles. Looking forward on your feedback when posting about the Thinking Brain.

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